Alfonso Ensenat de Villalonga has disputed conventionally-accepted narratives on the explorer's origins - that he was the son of a weaver in Genoa, Italy, or that he was from Catalonia or Galicia in Spain.

In fact, he was from Genoa, but he was "the son of shopkeepers not weavers and he was baptised Pedro not Christopher," Mr Villalonga told Spain's ABC newspaper on Sunday.

And his family name was Scotto, and was not Italian but of Scottish origin.

"He had light-coloured eyes and freckles. He also had blond hair even though it quickly turned white. That's how his contemporaries described him. Nothing like the traditional images (of him), which are totally invented," the historian said.

Mr Villalonga cited a chronicle of Catholic kings written by Lucio Marineo Siculo, who referred in his writings to "Pedro Columbus", not Christopher.

The historian has also claimed that the navigator once worked for a pirate called Vincenzo Columbus, and adopted that family name in order not to "expose" his relations.

Mr Villalonga said his research involved combing the archives in the Genoa region along with those in the Spanish history academy and national library.

Also...

New Evidence: Christopher Columbus Possible Son of Vladislav III, Exiled King of Poland

He is celebrated as the humble Italian weaver who ended up discovering the Americas.

But the conventional wisdom relating to Christopher Columbus is under threat after academics concluded the explorer was actually a Polish immigrant.

An international team of distinguished professors have completed 20 years of painstaking research into his beginnings.

The fresh evidence about Columbus’ background is revealed in a new book by Manuel Rosa, an academic at Duke University in the United States.

He says the voyager was not from a family of humble Italian craftsmen as previously thought - but the son of Vladislav III, an exiled King of Poland.

‘The sheer weight of the evidence presented makes the old tale of a Genoese wool-weaver so obviously unbelievable that only a fool would continue to insist on it,’ Rosa said.

The academic argues that the only way Columbus persuaded the King of Spain to fund his journey across the Atlantic Ocean was because he was royalty himself.

For some reason he hid the true identity of his Polish biological father from most people during his lifetime, and history books have been none the wiser.

‘Another nutty conspiracy theory! That’s what I first supposed as I started to read... I now believe that Columbus is guilty of huge fraud carried out over two decades against his patrons,’ said US historian Prof. James T. McDonough.

Other historians first doubted Columbus’ Polish roots, but Rosa’s findings have been steadily gaining followers as the evidence comes to light.

‘This book will forever change the way we view our history,’ said Portuguese historian Prof. Jose Carlos Calazans. National Geographic is reportedly interested in making a documentary.

Until now, it was believed that Columbus, who was born in the Italian city of Genoa in 1451, was the son of Domenico Columbo, who was a weaver and had a cheese stall in a market in the city.

At the age of 22 Columbus started working for Genoese merchants trading throughout the Mediterranean, and three years later took part in a special trading expedition to northern Europe, docking at Bristol before continuing to Ireland and Iceland.

Throughout the 1480s, when Columbus was in his 30s, he traded along the African coast.

Historians say it is a myth that navigators thought the world was flat before Columbus sailed west – they had been using the stars at night as a primitive navigation system that assumed the earth was a sphere.

What sailors including Columbus didn’t know is how big the earth was, and how long it would take to sail round it.

When he persuaded financiers to back his voyage west in 1492, he had completely miscalculated the distances and thought that Asia would be where America is: he arrived in the Bahamas, thinking he was somewhere off the coast of China.

Columbus undertook three more return journeys across the Atlantic Ocean, each time hoping that he had found another part of Asia.

He set up Spanish colonies and became governor of the Caribbean island of Hispaniola, but was later put on trial in Spain for alleged abuse of power.

After Columbus’ death in 1506, European explorers continued to set up colonies and eventually empires in north and south America.

NOTE: for one famous individual to have so much controversy as to their origin is very uncommon...even though he lived over 500 years ago. In fact, one gentleman (who, by the way, is a college professor) attempted to explain to me that Columbus was most likely an alien hybrid who was genetically engineered by a group of non-human beings living in present day Turkey. I tend to believe that Columbus was of Catalan-Genoan descent and most likely born and raised in Spain. But my guess is as good as any other...Lon

But American researchers say the mystery over the explorer's true origins has finally been solved after a thorough investigation of his writings.

A study of the language used in the official records and letters of the Great Navigator apparently proves he hailed from the Kingdom of Aragon in northeastern Spain and his mother tongue was Catalan.

Since his death in 1506 debate has raged over the true nationality of the man credited with discovering the Americas.

It was widely believed that he was the son of a weaver born in the Italian port of Genoa, but over the centuries he has been claimed as a native son of Greece, Catalonia, Portugal, Corsica, France and even Poland.

According to one theory, he may have been Jewish and another more recent account traced his origins to Scotland.

But a linguistic professor at Georgetown University in Washington has published new findings following an exhaustive study of documents written in his hand.

Estelle Irizarry studied his language and grammar and concluded that Columbus was a Catalan speaking man from the Kingdom of Aragon, an inland region of north-eastern Spain at the foot of the Pyrenees.

The findings published this month in a new book "The DNA of the writings of Columbus" explain that although he wrote in Castilian it was clearly not his first language and his origins can be pinpointed to the Aragon region because of the grammar and the way he constructed sentences.

"He didn't express him correctly in any written language," said the professor. "His Spanish was notoriously incorrect yet at the same time efficient, poetic and eloquent."

A scientific project launched three years ago to discover his true origins using DNA comparisons between his family and possible descendants has so far failed to provide conclusive results.

A team of scientists took samples from the tomb of Columbus in Seville and from bones belonging to his brother and son and compared them to the genetic make-up of hundreds of people living across Europe with surnames believed to be modern day variants of Columbus.

Swabs were taken from the cheeks of Colom's in Catalonia, Colombo's in Italy and even members of the deposed Portuguese royal family, who argue that Columbus was the product of an extramarital affair involving a Portuguese prince.

Scientists had hoped to establish a common ancestor using standard Y-chromosome tests but they have yet to find a link.

They study may be in vain, however, as there is evidence to suggest that Columbus, who first crossed the Atlantic in 1492, may have adopted his surname later in life to disguise his true origins.

One theory claims that he once worked for a pirate called Vincenzo Columbus, and adopted that name in order not to embarrass his relations with his new profession.

Columbus himself, when asked about his origins, used to shrug off the questions. "Vine de nada" – "I came from nothing", he said. - telegraph

Well, as I write this the wind and rain from Hurricane Irene is starting to move into my area. The lights have been blinking...so I have no idea how long the power will hold out. Take care and we'll be in touch soon. In the meantime, I hope you will consider helping 'Phantoms and Monsters' remain a free daily newsletter. Thanks...Lon

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Donations can be made safely through PayPal ('Donate' buttons are located below or on the blog or go to the PayPal homepage and send the donation to my user email - lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com)...or simply send your contribution by mail.

I truly hope you will consider endorsing 'Phantoms and Monsters' continued free daily newsletter service. The thoughtfulness, concern and courtesy expressed to me by the readers has been amazing. I genuinely consider each of you as part of a family...and a little bit really does mean a lot. Thanks again...Lon

Friday, August 26, 2011

Because of Hurricane Irene's real potential of reeking havoc in my locale this weekend, the chance of a power outage is high. Hopefully we'll avoid a disruption but you never know when it comes to Mother Nature's fury. Best of luck to everyone else along the east coast. Lon

First off, I can’t write about the technology they had because it’s not the point nor important according to the beings. What is the point are the messages i received. These being come to me when I’m in bed but I feel them all the time and can get messages from anytime almost.

I have come across three beings at different times, There is this guy with white curly clean looking shiny long hair, he has bigger eyes than us, but the pupils are grey with white on outside. He wears a white cap, his uniform is also white with gold trimming on the shoulders chest and neck and by the ribs. He has some kind of marking on his forehead, but it has a light on t so i can really see it, he has a staff that looks like wood he stick it out towards me i can see he has a ring on is finger its silver with a grey sphere, he also has what looks like a white arm strap or arm band, this arm band has silver sphere’s or small domes on in going around it. He is very strong i can see his arm muscles. He also has a glow or light behind him. He tells me basically to worry about my soul, to work as much as i can on my soul, to be as nice and kind and helpful as i can be, to change better. He tells me not to worry about worldly things he says it’s just a distraction from my goals. I have to stay focused. To be as pure as i can be. To talk and reach out to all who will listen.

The second man I encounter is a younger man. He has long brown curly shiny hair clean looking. He also has a light behind him and on his forehead, he also carries a wooden staff, he is not as big muscle wise as the white man. He has a grey uniform on with gold trimming on the shoulders chest and neck and by the ribs. He was tall. He had brown eyes. He also has a cap. This man talks more open with me, he just gives me ideas or suggestions or thoughts he is not as firm as the white man. He just gives suggestion or thought and ideas.

The third being I encountered was a female. She had long blond shiny hair. It was not curly, it was straight she too had light behind her and on her forehead. She also was wearing a cap. Her uniform and cap was a tan color with gold trimming on the shoulders chest and neck and by the ribs. She also had a wooden staff. She had blues eyes. She was tall. She seems to be a messenger or maybe a transporter? Or to get info from one being and give it to another, so it seems. When she approached me she had her staff out then dropped her head. She then lifted her head and with both arms to stuck her staff out to me with both arms horizontally as is bushing towards me. She then dropped it a little but, then suddenly push it into the air and began to spin her staff around really fast t to the point where I almost didn’t see it, when she was done what looks like a star map or a galaxy appeared above her, I could see the map I don’t know much about stars or maps or anything like that but I remember it somehow, she then pointed to a place on the map then to another with a few second pause she pointed back to her original place.

I have a picture of what I think it’s the “star map” I saw I based this on this because when she pointed the first place she pointed to was almost on the outside of the star map and the second place she pointed to was almost but not in the middle of the map.

Earlier post:

Maine - unedited: Hello friend I am an abuctee here is one of my abductions
It must have been about a year ago not sure date, 2010 ] but i went to the city to visit my brother. Around 2 am i left his house and walked to a longtime friend who also lived in the city. It is only about 10 min walk. When walking the next thing i can remember was having my eyes closed and hearing this calm, relaxing, soothing almost hypnotizing in a females voice saying. Kevin,, Kevin,,, its ok Kevin where here to help, it's ok, where no going to harm you, its okay. We¡¦re going to make you feel better. then my eyes opened up and at first there was a blinding light but then it went away and i could see the room and in the room were 2 Grey aliens very tall i remember the room there was 2 different colors in the room 1 on the top of the wall and on at the bottom almost like a trim around a room the top color was purple and the bottom color was blue, it was a thin line of theses colors trimming the room as light, light was coming from them. I asked the alien if they aren¡¦t going to harm me what they are going to do to me. They replied back ¡§we are going to help you and fix you¡¨ i know my mouth wasn¡¦t moving when talking to them. Because when I would get scared then I could tell I was using my mouth. The next thing i remember was each Grey on each side of me they then put me up against a cold metal thing and it was moving with each of them on my sides they brought me to a hall to the left of the white room, the hall was dark cloudy or misty like fog, the hall ways must have been 50 ft. 40 ft., long it took about 30 to 50 to get me down hall i can remember that, so about maybe 40 ft. 50 ft., before i got to the next room i could see to the right in the room a huddled circle formation of at least 7 to 8 Greys in a huddled formation they were tall. There was and exit to another room next to them with a hall way same as the white room. To the left in the room was a smaller group about 5. The room itself was dark round there was a fog or a mist in the room but at time it seemed to go away, also a dim light because I could see across the room. The walls of the room were indented almost like a V shape indent in the wall or this } so the walls were not flat like Are¡¦s. When entering the room I could smell a chemical like smell something like Bleach or Peroxide or Ammonia. They brought me into center of the room. I remember one of them was so tall he had to like bend a little to look me in the eyes. What¡¦s weird at this point was I wasn¡¦t really scared and it seemed hard for me to see their face at times others I could see them .i was still standing up against that thing they put me against in the white room. Then, one of them out there hand on my nose and another one put this small black tube up my nose, it made this noise, The alien Greys had long fingers very tall had a little mouth that moved up n down motion like a fish mouth but nothing was coming out. I remember screaming after they did that. All the time i could hear the voice saying it¡¦s going to be ok we hear to help, in a soft calm voice as if they was trying to relax me, but i was scared the next thing i remember was the thing i was standing up against slammed down making this loud noise it slammed down like a table, so I was now lying down They then brought me towards the left side of the room so it seemed. I began to get hostile and remember cocking my left leg back and kicking the alien to my lower left, he went against wall n fell down. I clearly remember doing it and watching the Grey fly against the wall and sliding down the other Greys quickly backed off; from then on the next thing i remember was on the side of the road again. Right after i realized what had happened still dazed n confused, tired, lost feeling. There was this cop who drove real slow right next to me and i asked him where a street was and he looked at me for a few minutes, he didn¡¦t say a word just pointed and stared with this nasty look, blank see threw me look almost, i had lost 3 or 4 hours of time it was nearly 6 in morning when i got to my friend¡¦s house.

„« I remember the smells in the craft; they were like bleach, ammonia, or peroxide smell, the greys were at least 7 ft. or 8ft tall, long fingers, slips for mouths n smaller black eyes

„« I was talking to them telepathic

„« I use to have a crooked nose but since the alien stuck that small black tube up my nose it¡¦s straight again

„« I remember the colors of inside the craft white, purple, blue,

„« I remember some of there tech, such as a thin about 7inch black tube, the thing I was standing against moves on its own and is capable at fast speed slamming down like a table or bed.
There are other accounts but this one stick outs in my head the most... Please i need help in this matter ever since it has happened it has consumed my thinking completely and is all i can think about, it took me almost a year to go outside at night i was so petrified. since every night before i go to bed i just have to stair or forced to look up in the sky at nothing my eyes wide open with tears pouring down my face and my jaw wide open, I¡¦ll be standing like that for at least 10 min if not longer. Almost in a drown fashion. i am desperately looking for help and do not know where to look i am branching out to you in hopes you may be able to point me in right way in helping me on this matter i thank you very much for reading my email and you time thank you again.
Kevin - MUFON CMS

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Diamond planet found

A newly discovered alien planet that formed from a dead star is a real diamond in the rough.

The super-high pressure of the planet, which orbits a rapidly pulsing neutron star, has likely caused the carbon within it to crystallize into an actual diamond, a new study suggests.

The composition of the planet, which is about five times the size of Earth, is not its only outstanding feature.

The planet's parent star is a special kind of flashing star known as a millisecond pulsar, a rapidly rotating neutron star formed from a supernova. The entire system, which is only the second of its kind ever discovered, is located about 4,000 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Serpens (The Snake).

Seventy percent of millisecond pulsars found have a companion, which provides additional energy to ramp up the pulsars' rapid rotation. Generally, this companion is a dying star called a white dwarf; more than 180 millisecond pulsars have been found with white dwarfs over the years.

Theonly planet known to be orbiting in such a system was detected in 1992 — until now."The pulsar was found in December 2009," lead scientist Matthew Bailes of Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia, told SPACE.com via email."We've been on the trail of the companion ever since." [The Strangest Alien Planets]

Known as PSR J1719-1438, this particular pulsar completes more than 10,000 rotations in a minute. Tiny and compact, it's only about 12 miles (20 kilometers) across, but it has a mass that is 1.4 times that of our sun.

PSR J1719-1438 transformed from an average star to a radio pulsar when a dying star in a binary system exploded. The compact core of the star formed with a very high rotation speed from the ashes of the supernova.

When the second star in the system reached the end of its life, it expanded as a red giant and finally morphed into a white dwarf. The pulsar began to suck mass off its companion, causing the pulsarto spin faster and faster until it attained its breakneck speed.

What happened next depends on the system. Most white dwarfs continue to orbit the new millisecond pulsar, but some are consumed by it.

"The fate depends upon the mass of the white dwarf and how far it is from the pulsar," Bailes said.

If it is both close and massive, the two spiral together. Astronomers assume this is what happened to the 30 percent of millisecond pulsars found without a companion. [Top 10 Star Mysteries]

In the case of the diamond planet, astronomers think that the core of the white dwarf failed to merge completely with its companion.

"When they got very close, the star lost a lot of its matter and moved out to its safe distance of about a solar radius," Bailes said.

Now tiny, having lost more than 99.9 percent of its original mass and no longer engaged in the fusion reactions that drive a star, the dead core is classified as a planet.

Ironically, the star-turned-planet is larger than its sun. With a diameter of about 37,300 miles (60,000 km), it's five times the size of Earth, but 3,000 times larger than the millisecond pulsar it orbits.

The planet itself orbits the pulsar in a little more than two hours. The entire system would fit within the diameter of our sun.

The research was published online in the Aug. 25 edition of the journal Science. - Yahoo

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Strange green orb witnessed over Cocoa Beach, Florida

The following was submitted by Ken Pfeifer, World UFO Photos: My husband and I were surf-fishing off Cocoa Beach, FL around 1 o'clock in the morning. We had separated from one another by about 25 yards...far enough that we couldn't hear each other over the waves. I was just about to cast into the surf when I saw something flying slowly above over my right shoulder. It was a bright green, fuzzy ball of light flying overhead from the land towards the water. It flew above and between my husband and I keeping the same height and speed...about 10-20mph. It just kept flying out over the water until it disappeared into the distance. I started walking back towards our bait bucket thinking about what the hell I just saw. By the time I reached the bait bucket on the beach I had convinced myself I was seeing things. But I knew I HAD seen something because this sighting lasted long enough to question myself about what it was I saw. My husband had walked back too and the first thing out of his mouth was "Did you see that bright green fuzzy light?!?" I was so relieved he had seen it too, although it would have been impossible for him not to see it because it was close, flying slow and it was the middle of the night and was the brightest thing in the sky. We have no idea what it was and we still talk about it to this day. NOTE: The above image is a rendering. - MUFON CMS

KEN'S NOTE: Cocoa Beach is very close to Patrick Air Force Base and Cape Kennedy [Cape Canaveral]

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Close Encounter in South Carolina

Labor day 2010, while traveling up I-85 from Atlanta to Charlotte I was in the passenger seat of a friends car. I observed a bright yellow "star" which I soon realized was changing in orientation to the surrounding stars. My entire family in aviation, I naturally attempted to identify the make of aircraft I assumed it would be. While nearing us I began to notice various neon spectrum colors emanating in sequence from the craft that didn't seem to coincide with and commercial airliner lights I had seen to date. Very rapidly the craft approached and descended to a very low altitude, roughly 60 feet, just above the tree tops lining the highway. The craft, whose primary hull was ovalian, with a structure resembling and iron cross cross section through the axis of the vehicle. One of the squared edges of the cross section was wider than the other three with 4 small yet intense yellow lights running parallel to it's edge. Each of the other three squared sections had a large intense yellow light. There was a row of 8 multicolored lights flashing along the central axis of the cross section, each light would flash a different color nearly every time it illuminate, it did this in constant and rapid succession. The wider section appeared to be the rear at first, but as it approached us and descended just about the trees it halted and reversed course almost instantaneously. We immediately pull off the highway at the Cowpens exit and stopped at a closed fireworks shop just off the highway and walked out into the adjacent field. The craft slowly moved over us the shot at a dramatic angle towards the mountains and again halted. It was then approached by an identical craft. Both flashed their sequential lights under theirs frames directly towards each other then both simultaneously made 3-4 clockwise rotations around each other then broke away from one another. These first 2 craft traveled silently in opposing directions with dramatic right angle movements towards 2 additional craft which had just appeared from behind the mountains. The first 2 repeated the "communication dance" with the 2 new craft. The 4 then began to rapidly comb the area silently covering great distances with erratic and jerky movements. One of the came back over to our area of the field and flew directly over us, lowering as it approached the ascending after passing us. This time it did not move in a straight line but side to side as it moved forward as if traveling on some sort of wave form. Moments later they re congregated briefly the shot off in 4 different directions all disappearing quickly and silently. - MUFON CMS

UPDATE: photo (above) that was published in the Windsor Star (Windsor, Ontario) online edition

This photo was forwarded to me...it is supposed to be Karakoksha, the village near the rocket crash site

I received an interesting email this morning from Yevgeni in Riga, Latvia. I may regret posting this but here it is for you to peruse and judge. It has been edited for spelling though I left it mostly intact:

"My brother lives 3 kilometers east to Karakoksha in Altai Rep. Russia the area around where rocket crashed. Please be known that they had many sightings of two large birds about 1 week ago. They were not identified but were seen by people in area many times last week. A man says it was just like a mothman from US and because it had red eyes and bat wings and shaped like a human man. He say this mothman comes before bad times or disasters. Maybe this is what we have. I live in Riga, Latvia but am in contact with him each day. Yevgeni N."

Russian Altai Republic in dark blue

I also receive a email from a reader in Canada who saw a dark anomaly in a photograph (below) of the Progress cargo rocket that was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan...the same rocket that crashed minutes later in the Russian Altai Republic.

I have looked at other launch photos and have not noticed the anomaly. Below is a recent news report on the launch and crash:

Villagers around Russian rocket crash say they're sick

Villagers living in the vicinity of a Russian rocket crash are complaining of ill health possibly caused by toxic space debris, officials in Russia's Altai Republic says.

Eight residents of the remote central Asian Choisky district were found to have developed similar symptoms after a Progress rocket booster smashed into Taiga forest after a failed Wednesday space shot, staff at a local hospital said.

All lived in the vicinity of the village Karakoksha and were suffering from increased blood pressure, coughs and fever, Interfax reported.

A Progress cargo rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in neighbouring Kazakhstan on Wednesday evening left its planned trajectory and, breaking into pieces, crashed some 1,500 kilometers downrange.

The third stage of the booster struck ground in the Altai's Choisky district. An estimated 1.5 tons of highly-toxic liquid fuel was likely still on board, according to local news reports.

Exposure to the fuel could cause headaches, nausea and breathing difficulties.

Russian mission control officials sometimes rely on the help of residents of Russia's Central Asian and Siberian districts, the main landing area for Russia's space programme, to locate space objects returning to Earth.

But health officials denied there is a link between the Progress rocket's crash and possible health problems of Altai district residents.

"We have checked the area and waterways in the vicinity, and our tests have shown there has been no contamination," said Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief health inspector, in comments to Interfax. "These complaints must have some other cause."

The Progress rocket crash destroyed a Russian government GLONASS navigation satellite. The failure followed an August 18 launch by a Proton rocket, also from Baikonur, which caused the total loss of a Russian government communications satellite by placing it in an incorrect orbit.

Russia's national space agency has announced a wide-reaching investigation into the country's rocket fleet and the Baikonur cosmodrome, as a result of the two accidents. - timeslive

Thursday, August 25, 2011

This photo was forwarded to me...it is supposed to be Karakoksha, the village near the rocket crash site

I received an interesting email this morning from Yevgeni in Riga, Latvia. I may regret posting this but here it is for you to peruse and judge. It has been edited for spelling though I left it mostly intact:

"My brother lives 3 kilometers east to Karakoksha in Altai Rep. Russia the area around where rocket crashed. Please be known that they had many sightings of two large birds about 1 week ago. They were not identified but were seen by people in area many times last week. A man says it was just like a mothman from US and because it had red eyes and bat wings and shaped like a human man. He say this mothman comes before bad times or disasters. Maybe this is what we have. I live in Riga, Latvia but am in contact with him each day. Yevgeni N."

Russian Altai Republic in dark blue

I also receive a email from a reader in Canada who saw a dark anomaly in a photograph (below) of the Progress cargo rocket that was launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan...the same rocket that crashed minutes later in the Russian Altai Republic.

I have looked at other launch photos and have not noticed the anomaly. Below is a recent news report on the launch and crash:

Villagers around Russian rocket crash say they're sick

Villagers living in the vicinity of a Russian rocket crash are complaining of ill health possibly caused by toxic space debris, officials in Russia's Altai Republic says.

Eight residents of the remote central Asian Choisky district were found to have developed similar symptoms after a Progress rocket booster smashed into Taiga forest after a failed Wednesday space shot, staff at a local hospital said.

All lived in the vicinity of the village Karakoksha and were suffering from increased blood pressure, coughs and fever, Interfax reported.

A Progress cargo rocket launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in neighbouring Kazakhstan on Wednesday evening left its planned trajectory and, breaking into pieces, crashed some 1,500 kilometers downrange.

The third stage of the booster struck ground in the Altai's Choisky district. An estimated 1.5 tons of highly-toxic liquid fuel was likely still on board, according to local news reports.

Exposure to the fuel could cause headaches, nausea and breathing difficulties.

Russian mission control officials sometimes rely on the help of residents of Russia's Central Asian and Siberian districts, the main landing area for Russia's space programme, to locate space objects returning to Earth.

But health officials denied there is a link between the Progress rocket's crash and possible health problems of Altai district residents.

"We have checked the area and waterways in the vicinity, and our tests have shown there has been no contamination," said Gennady Onishchenko, Russia's chief health inspector, in comments to Interfax. "These complaints must have some other cause."

The Progress rocket crash destroyed a Russian government GLONASS navigation satellite. The failure followed an August 18 launch by a Proton rocket, also from Baikonur, which caused the total loss of a Russian government communications satellite by placing it in an incorrect orbit.

Russia's national space agency has announced a wide-reaching investigation into the country's rocket fleet and the Baikonur cosmodrome, as a result of the two accidents. - timeslive

NOTE: If there is further information I will update this post. Honestly, I think this is a lot of 'happenstance' but something may come of it. I do hope these large bird sightings, if true, become part of the story when more local interviews are conducted...Lon

I received this information on Weds: Hi there. I live in the capitol of Australia. Canberra. My friend witnessed something pretty intense and i was on the phone whilst it happened. So i heard it. And heard him. He is never prone to displays of hysteria but was totally freaked out by his encounter. He was walking by the storm water drains about 100 metres from his house when he caught sight of a child sized, 3 foot tall or so, black scaled reptilian humanoid creature. He described it as having long fingers and bright cat eyes when they caught the light. It followed him home and climbed over the fence after him. It was studying him and not behaving particularly aggressive or hostile. It walked on 4 and 2 legs. He shooed it away with an umbrella, very British of him i know, which is when i heard it make a high pitched hiss growl and take off. We wish to make an expedition to locate and take film of the adults. But we do need help. A bunch of ill prepared retards we are not. But questions remain. Armed or not? Night vision? Torches. EMF? Provisions. Maps of tunnels. Inform someone in case of getting lost. fluorescent chalk markers for trail signs with black lights for picking them up. But we need to know about THEM.... Details. Any one in Canberra who can add a professional touch to our survival rate? Any advice on the subject would be very much appreciated. And have we forgotten anything in our equipment? Thanks. Jack.

When I made an inquiry, I received the following: Its in Gordon, a suburb of Canberra. About 100 metres away from the house is a storm water drain with underground access. Its on the same street as the local shops. The incident occurred at about midnight. My friend tried communicating with the creature at my behest. It stared at him while standing up right. Then when he stepped towards it ran. Over the 5 foot fence. It had reptilian and humanoid features. The tunnel system under Canberra is very extensive. Covers most of Its underground. All leading to rivers or lakes. Don't know what else to tell you.

NOTE: Looks like the Klingon Empire made some improvements to the D7 Class...Lon

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'Rogue Panda' alert in Flagstaff, AZ

Commuters near Flagstaff were cautioned to be on the look out for a "rogue panda on a rampage" on Monday.

That was the message that appeared on an electronic road sign near Fort Valley Road and Forest Avenue. A spokesman from the Flagstaff Police Department put the word out to area residents and the media: Flagstaff is 100% free of rogue pandas.

Pranksters accessed the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) sign sometime on Sunday night or early Monday morning. The sign was originally displaying a message that warned drivers about left turns at the busy intersection.

An alert passerby contacted police after seeing the rampaging panda message at around 3 a.m. on Monday morning. By late-morning, the sign had been restored to its original message.

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Zoo Animals Sensed East Coast Earthquake

The National Zoo in Washington, D.C. has released a post-earthquake update in which it describes some of the unusual animal behavior in the lead up to yesterday's 5.9 quake:

The red ruffed lemurs sounded an alarm call about 15 minutes before the quake and then again just after it occurred.

...About five to ten seconds before the quake, many of the apes, including Kyle (an orangutan) and Kojo (a Western lowland gorilla),Red-ruffed lemur abandoned their food and climbed to the top of the tree-like structure in the exhibit.

About three seconds before the quake, Mandara (a gorilla) let out a shriek and collected her baby, Kibibi, and moved to the top of the tree structure as well.

Iris (an orangutan) began “belch vocalizing” — an unhappy/upset noise normally reserved for extreme irritation — before the quake and continued this vocalization following the quake.

...The Zoo has a flock of 64 flamingos. Just before the quake, the birds rushed about and grouped themselves together. They remained huddled during the quake.

Dr. Don Moore, the zoo's associate director for animal care sciences, theorized that the animals were picking up on sounds or vibrations below the level of human perception. "I think given that they're sensing it beforehand, they must be sensing the pre-rumbles that create some kind of vibration in the ground," Moore said, "or hearing something we can't hear."

However, one interesting facet of the report is the revelation that the zoo's pandas "did not appear to respond to the earthquake" - previous reports from earthquakes in China have suggested that the iconic bear species may have some 'pre-quake perception'. Another fascinating behavioral insight from the report: the ducks and beavers jumped in the water at the onset of the earthquake and stayed in there until well after it was finished.

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Man literally 'blows up his ass'

Dad-of-one Gareth Durrant, 26, was wiring a caravan at the factory where he worked when the large pipe - carrying compressed air at around 300lbs per square inch - shot up his back passage.

He was rushed to hospital where scans revealed a six-inch tear in his bowel and severe damage to his intestines. He then faced hours of emergency surgery to save his life while wife Sarah, 25, waited anxiously with their toddler son Daniel, three.

The op repaired the tear and also involved performing an ileostomy leaving him with a stoma bag to collect bodily waste - and the 'inflation' meant some of his clothes no longer fitted him.

He was unable to eat properly as he was vomiting food and now suffers agonising stomach pains and cramps as well as depression, anxiety and panic attacks.

He has also not been able to work since causing huge financial strain on his young family. Wife Sarah, who is currently eight months pregnant, can now only work part-time because she has to look after her husband and their three-year-old son.

Gareth is pursuing a civil claim against his employer and a court will decide whether they were responsible during a two-day hearing starting on Thursday. If they are found liable he will be able to claim compensation.

Gareth told how he was working at Willerby Holiday Homes in Hull, East Yorks., which makes static caravans, when the incident occurred. He was aware that the air line - one of many which hang from the ceiling and are used to power tools on the production line at the factory - was being used behind him and got on with work until suddenly he felt an explosion of air for a few brief agonising seconds.

He said: "I was reaching up to finish the wiring on a caravan at the factory. I knew this air hose was being used close behind me but I just carried on the job as normal.

"The next thing I knew I felt this strong air being blown on my legs from behind, and then something went up my rectum through the shorts I was wearing.

"It felt like I had been blown up, it was the biggest shock of my life. There was air fizzing around inside my back passage and stomach, it was so weird.

"At that time I didn't feel much pain, but the doctors later explained that was the adrenaline of the moment. Then it kicked in and I just can't put in to words how painful it was. I lay down, they rang for an ambulance and I was taken to hospital."

Gareth was fully conscious during his unimaginable ordeal on July 13 last year. The next day he had emergency surgery and spent a week in hospital before being allowed home.

He said: "It was terrible. I couldn't keep any food down. My wife had to empty my stoma bag every day, it was quite embarrassing and humiliating.

"I got constant agonising pain that was unimaginably bad. I have medication for it but it still causes me great pain.

"I want people to be aware of the risks. I don't want this to happen to anybody else. It's changed my life totally, I used to be so active and healthy and enjoyed playing rugby. But for the last year I've just been stuck at home, it's so frustrating.

"These pipes carry 300lbs of compressed air per square inch and are not to be messed about with. But there was no training into the potential dangers of them."

He did make an attempt to return to work recently but suffered a panic attack as he approached the factory.

The previously fit and healthy dad began to put a bit of weight on. This is partly due to his still bloated stomach, partly because the accident meant his diet became crazily inconsistent and partly because he now finds it very painful to exercise. He is due to meet a dietician soon to discuss the problem.

He had a second operation last September to reverse the ileostomy, meaning he no longer needed his waste bag.

He said: "I didn't notice I was bigger until I found that my jeans and smart trousers no longer fitted me so I must have put a bit of weight on. That combined with eating a lot meant I have to wear loose fitting tracksuit bottoms all the time now as they don't put pressure on my stomach.

"My eating is all over the place. Sometimes I can eat a big meal and be hungry a couple hours of later because my stomach is inflated, next day I eat almost nothing. There's no pattern to it at all.

"I have constant aching pain in my stomach which I've been warned I may never get rid of. I can sit down and drive comfortably, but I struggle to do exercise because it makes my stomach hurt too much. I haven't been able to play rugby. That's probably another reason I have put a bit of weight on."

Sarah said: "When I went to hospital Gareth's employers had just said that he had had an accident at work but was able to walk to the ambulance, so I just assumed he'd injured his hand or something.

"Then I was told he was seriously injured and was undergoing scans and x-rays, and the next thing I knew he was being rushed into surgery and being told this operation was needed to save his life."

Sarah added: "I've been left to care for a husband, a young son and I'm also heavily pregnant. Money wise it's been a total nightmare as we suddenly lost Gareth's full-time wage.

"I've had to cut down my hours working as an assistant manager at a residential home, so we are surviving on just my part-time wage but we have a mortgage to pay."

The Health and Safety Executive are still investigating the incident. - telegraph

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

A mass UFO-sighting in Katherine has spooked believers and non-believers likewise.

During his investigations into recent UFO sightings in the region UFOlogist Alan Ferguson met with locals to hear about their unexplainable experiences, and a group of people gathered near one of the last sighting places, the Strongbala Men’s Healing Centre, on Thursday night, where a group of sceptics and believers spotted an unidentified flying object in the sky.

“I guess the time for sceptics is over,” UFOlohgist Ferguson said.

A bright light appeared on the night sky, while Mr Ferguson was interviewing people, who said they believed they had seen UFOs over Katherine before.

“Something caught my eye,” Mr Ferguson said.

“It was a bright white light.”

Witness Carrina Turner, 23, said the light was hovering in the sky, “really, really bright”, before it disappeared all of a sudden.

"But a few seconds later it was back, and it was kinda going on and off, like it had a pulse,” she said.

Mr Ferguson said before the UFO disappeared it “shot” across the sky “at speed”.

“It was going at least twice as fast as a satellite would normally travel across the sky”, he said.

Ten people witnessed the unexplainable event.

“Katherine has become UFO mecca,” Mr Ferguson said.

“During my investigations I ask a lot of questions to get a feel whether people just wanna bulls... you or whether it’s believable what they’ve seen.

“When I came to Katherine I did not expect to find so many people who had seen and documented their UFO experiences.

"Katherine is in a UFO hot spot.”

In the recent weeks a lot of people have come forward with to tell their stories about UFO sightings. - katherinetimes

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8.7 million species exist on Earth

Our world is a much wilder place than it looks. A new study estimates that Earth has almost 8.7 million species, but we’ve only discovered about a quarter of them. And some of the yet-to-be-seen ones could be in our own backyards, scientists say.

So far, only 1.9 million species have been found. Recent discoveries have been small and weird: a psychedelic frogfish, a lizard the size of a dime and even a blind hairy mini-lobster at the bottom of the ocean.

“We are really fairly ignorant of the complexity and colorfulness of this amazing planet,” said the study’s co-author, Boris Worm, a biology professor at Canada’s Dalhousie University. “We need to expose more people to those wonders. It really makes you feel differently about this place we inhabit.”

While some scientists and others may question why we need to know the number of species, others say it’s important.

There are potential benefits from these undiscovered species, which need to be found before they disappear from the planet, said famed Harvard biologist Edward O. Wilson, who was not part of this study. Some of modern medicine comes from unusual plants and animals.

“We won’t know the benefits to humanity (from these species), which potentially are enormous,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning Wilson said. “If we’re going to advance medical science, we need to know what’s in the environment.”

Biologists have long known that there’s more to Earth than it seems, estimating the number of species to be somewhere between 3 million and 100 million. Figuring out how much is difficult.

Worm and Camilo Mora of the University of Hawaii used complex mathematical models and the pace of discoveries of not only species, but of higher classifications such as family to come up with their estimate.

Their study, published Tuesday in the online journal PLoS Biology, a publication of the Public Library of Science, estimated the number of species at nearly 8.7 million.

Of those species, 6.5 million would be on land and 2.2 million in the ocean, which is a priority for the scientists doing the work since they are part of the Census of Marine Life, an international group of scientists trying to record all the life in the ocean.

The research estimates that animals rule with 7.8 million species, followed by fungi with 611,000 and plants with just shy of 300,000 species.

While some new species like the strange mini-lobster are in exotic places such as undersea vents, “many of these species that remain to be discovered can be found literally in our own backyards,” Mora said.

Outside scientists, such as Wilson and preeminent conservation biologist Stuart Pimm of Duke University, praised the study, although some said even the 8.7 million number may be too low.

The study said it could be off by about 1.3 million species, with the number somewhere between 7.5 million and 10.1 million. But evolutionary biologist Blair Hedges of Penn State University said he thinks the study is not good enough to be even that exact and could be wrong by millions.

Hedges knows firsthand about small species.

He found the world’s smallest lizard, a half-inch long Caribbean gecko, while crawling on his hands and knees among dead leaves in the Dominican Republic in 2001. And three years ago in Barbados, he found the world’s shortest snake, the 4-inch Caribbean threadsnake that lays “a single, very long egg.”

The study’s authors point to other species as evidence of the growing rate of discovery: the 6-inch, blind, hairy lobster-type species found in 2005 by a submarine looking at hydrothermal vents near where the Pacific meets Antarctica and a brilliant-colored frogfish found by divers in Indonesia in 2008.

Of the 1.9 million species found thus far, only about 1.2 million have been listed in the fledgling online Encyclopedia of Life, a massive international effort to chronicle every species that involves biologists, including Wilson.

If the 8.7 million estimate is correct, “those are brutal numbers,” said Encyclopedia of Life executive director Erick Mata. “We could spend the next 400 or 500 years trying to document the species that actually inhabit our planet.” - discoveryon

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Bull semen forces interstate closure

Canisters of bull semen caused quite a scare on the on-ramp to Interstate 65 South Tuesday morning.

The canisters fell off a Greyhound bus just after 5 a.m. as the bus traveled around the curve of the ramp just south of downtown Nashville.

Fire and emergency crews were called to the scene amid reports of a foul odor.

When they discovered four unmarked canisters with steam and an unpleasant odor coming from them, they shut down the on-ramp and called HAZMAT crews.

Officials traced the containers to Greyhound after finding bus tickets on the ground. The bus did not know it lost its load and had continued on.

Authorities called Greyhound, who, after speaking with the driver the bus, determined the canisters to be filled with straws of frozen sperm packed in liquid nitrogen.

The load originated in Columbus, Ohio and was en route to a breeding facility in Laredo, Texas.

Canisters like they ones strewn across the interstate typically carry between 300 and 400 straws, each containing one-milliliter of sperm.

Depending on the bull the sperm came from, straws are worth between $18 and $50 each, according to experts. It's possible the load that fell off the bus Tuesday morning was worth as much as $80,000.

Once the leaking canisters were deemed not harmful, they were moved to a grassy area next to the interstate.

A local company was called to assist in the cleanup. The scene was cleared around 9 a.m.

A Greyhound spokesperson said it's not uncommon that the bus was carrying bull sperm.

In addition to transporting people, the also company transports cargo. The canisters were filled with liquid nitrogen and thus could only be transported by ground.

Greyhound said the sperm was stored in a separate compartment below the bus and not near the belongings of passengers. - wkrn

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Bees on a plane

Terrified airline passengers panicked when two hives of bees smuggled onto a plane for a flight across Russia escaped in mid-air and began swarming around the cabin.

The bees - sneaked on board the Boeing 757 in cardboard boxes - are understood to have become agitated in the pressurised cabin during the 10-hour Yakutia Airline flight to Moscow from Blagoveshchensk near Russia’s border with China.

The trafficker - who has not been named by the airline - claims an airport official at Blagoveshchensk had asked him to carry the boxes to Moscow where he would be met at the airport.

Official airport documents quoted a passenger as saying that the trafficker was “slightly drunk.” Air hostesses eventually managed to seal the bees inside the wardrobe in the flight’s business section by sealing it with sticky tape.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Earth is in the final stages in a cycle of development of human consciousness and the organic world. A critical decrease in the Earth’s magnetic field will cause global cataclysmic events. Extraterrestrial civilizations (ETC) have offered humanity the only avenue for escape on the eve of these predicted global cataclysms. This is the claim of two Russian scientists Victoria Popova, Dr. Sc., Ph.D., and Lidia Andrianova Ph.D. They have authored over two hundred publications and nineteen patents. www.ourtransition.info and series of 15 video on youtube: 2012. Our Transition.

During fifteen years of research they discovered two keys – analog and digital – for decoding crop circles and others extraterrestrials’ pictograms in stone. Among them are Stonehenge and Avebury stone circles in the UK, Machu Picchu, Chavin de Huantar and the Nazca Lines in Peru, the pyramid of Chichen-Itza and the pyramids of the moon and the sun in Mexico and the Moai of Easter Island and others. All extraterrestrials’ pictograms in stone transmit preliminary information about the development of consciousness. Crop circles transfer the emergency information and instructions for salvation. Unfortunately, there are many hoaxes that can ruin our future.

After decoding many hundreds of pictograms scattered all over the world the Russian scientists composed a dictionary of over two hundred and fifty symbols. ETC predict three preliminary catastrophes followed by global cataclysms, say the scientists, of a magnitude beyond anything experienced in living memory. There will be a short time period between all these events.

ETC warn that civilization has to be pre-informed about the scenario of global cataclysms beginning event. Not informed civilization has no chance to make the Transition in time and to prolong life. First pre-cataclysm will be related with interruption of global system of communication – phone, Internet. Pre-informed civilization will avoid shock and chaos of super-powerful disaster and has a chance to make the Transition in time.

The first of these pre-cataclysms is imminent – an extraordinary event which surpasses all natural powers known by humanity. The scientists claim a catastrophic seismic event will emanate from the west coast of Peru in the area of the Brazilian Magnetic Anomaly at the intersection of the Humboldt and the El Ni?o currents in the Pacific Ocean. An area of the United States from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes will be inundated as a result of a tsunami. According to prophecy of Edgar Cayce – famous American prophet – during several minutes the waters of the Mexican Golf will joint with Great Lakes.

This catastrophe will have a devastating impact on the whole central and south Pacific region, with the likelihood of mega-tsunamis hitting the Eastern seaboard of New Zealand and Australia. The tsunami may even affect the north-western coast of Africa and the shores of Western Europe, but the brunt of the cataclysm will focus on Eastern coast of North America.

The second and the third pre-cataclysms will be much stronger. Scientists emphasize that this is a natural cycle of the planet. Part of this process is the development of human consciousness to a point where humanity will have a ‘window of opportunity’ to make the transition to a higher plane of existence. They explain that this point in history can be seen as a kind graduation for humanity to a higher and more subtle level of experience, a type of metamorphosis for humanity connected with ascension. According to Dr. Popova and Dr. Andrianova, nobody can be saved individually, as the transition can be made only through the synchronous unification of human consciousness.

The time for humans to escape the devastation through the unification of consciousness will be shortly after the first pre-cataclysm. After second pre-catastrophe humanity will have no chance to prolong life because number of remained people will be not enough to start up the mechanism of the transition. In the future humanity will join a galactic community of evolved extra-terrestrial civilizations, linked through consciousness. - ourtransition

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Gabe Valdez Said Military Responsible for Cattle Mutilations

Gabe Valdez was a former New Mexico state patrol officer in the Dulce, New Mexico area. During his tenure, beginning in the 1970's, he was tasked with investigating mysterious cattle mutilations. The area suffered many cases of cattle found mutilated without blood, organs that appeared carefully removed and cuts in the skin that were so precise they were believed to be made by lasers. After years of research Valdez concluded that a clandestine government agency was responsible and that they used secret underground bases in the Dulce area for their experiments.

I have investigated a cattle mutilation case myself, just down the road from Dulce over the Colorado border, outside the town of Trinidad. Like many other cases, a cow was found with the udder missing, patches of skin removed, the anus cored out, genitals removed and part of the tongue missing. The animal was found at the bottom of a wash, and unlike a typical predator kill, there was no indication of a struggle or massive blood loss. The rancher had been raising cattle his whole life, and had seen many animal deaths, but could not explain why this animal had died. In fact, because he had a UFO sighting just days before, he suspected that the culprits could be extraterrestrial. - Go to New Mexico Cop Says Military Responsible for Cattle Mutilations

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Killer Ravens

High in the darkening sky, a flock of enormous ravens swoop and swirl - narrow black wings stretched wide, heads protruding forward and huge hairy beaks scything through the air.

Every few minutes they let out deep, throaty, honking calls as they soar effortlessly, circling around until, finally, they spot their prey and swoop.

But forget dormice, voles or even small furry rabbits; these sinister looking birds are feasting on something far larger - newborn lambs.

And instead of hanging around for a few discarded bones or a forgotten carcass to pick and claw at, they've started killing live farm animals - by pecking them to death, in horrific scenes reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier's The Birds, turned by Alfred Hitchcock into one of the most chilling movies of all time.

Throughout Britain, traumatised farmers have reported a sudden and disturbing rise in the number of livestock being attacked by ravens.

Farmer John Kirk, 50, from Nethybridge, near Aviemore, has lost more than 40 animals in the past few weeks.

"It's like something out of a horror film. They are horrible, horrible birds. They see the young lambs and just fly down and help themselves," he said.

"Sometimes you find a carcass with the eyes and tongue pecked out, but sometimes all you find is the skin. They peck away until nothing is left." And while some animals have been pecked to death, others have been left to die in agony after birds have feasted on their eyes, tongues and the soft flesh of their underbellies.

The worst-hit areas are in Scotland and Wales, but there are also reports of random attacks across the South-West and the Lake District.

The Scottish Isle of Mull has been badly hit, with one farmer losing 20 lambs in a fortnight.

Another, Robert Millar from High Catterdale, Kintyre, said: "We've had 12 to 15 lambs attacked. It's got to the stage where you have to lamb indoors, or you don't stand a chance."

And Jimmy Mills, a farmer from Stratherrick, south of Inverness, has lost seven lambs in just three days: "The lambs are born at 1pm and by four o'clock they've been taken to bits by the ravens," he says.

According to Johnny Hall, of the National Farmers Union of Scotland, it's no longer just lambs: "Raven attacks have become a huge problem across a wide area of the country.

"We have substantial evidence of them attacking adult sheep and calves, too. The attacks are so horrific that it's causing mental suffering to people who find the animals."

The worst thing is, there's not much the farmers can do about it. Ravens are protected by law, so farmers can't shoot them as they would other vermin.

They can be killed on special licence - due to a condition in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - but only if the Government deems it appropriate.

But farmers say the system is designed for the "odd rogue bird", not the huge swirling flocks of recent months, and are demanding the law is changed.

The question is, why have ravens suddenly started to attack livestock?

Experts cannot give a definitive explanation, but some believe it is simply the pressure on food resources caused by the dramatically increasing raven population.

In parts of Britain (Scotland, in particular) experts believe numbers have increased five-fold since the late Nineties, and according to the RSPB there are up to 6,000 breeding pairs in Scotland - almost half the numbers in Europe.

Davy Thomson, vice-chairman of the Scottish Gamekeepers Association, says it is not breeding birds that cause the problem, but immature birds, scavenging in large packs.

"I've seen several hundred birds roosting together, and all they do is hunt one side of the hill and then move onto their next food source.

"Raven populations have increased massively in the past ten years, and it's an absolute nonsense that we can't control them."

However, according to Dr Andre Farrar, spokesman for the Royal Society For The Protection Of Birds: "Some reports of raven attacks may be exaggerated, but they do kill things.

"They make a speciality out of scavenging and eating carrion. In many cases their prey is already dead, but they're highly capable of killing, so sometimes they'll finish it off themselves.

"But they get an unjustly bad press. Any big, black bird tends to come down from history with a load of negatives attached. So the raven has got a burden of cultural mistrust around it."

Such as its association with death, and its supposed supernatural powers of prediction.

Irish folklore has it that each raven contains three drops of the Devil's blood, and anyone who hunted them would be on the receiving end of the Devil's fury and a lifetime of bad luck.

Its status as a bird of ill omen is confirmed by a cameo appearance in Shakespeare's Macbeth - as the King nears the castle at Inverness, Lady Macbeth utters the ominous words: "The raven himself is hoarse that croaks the fatal entrance of Duncan under my battlements."

Legend has it that if anything happens to the six resident ravens at the Tower of London - attended by a Yeoman Ravenmaster, and treated to a daily feast of raw meat and blood-soaked "bird biscuit" - England will be invaded.

Aside from all the folklore, they're an impressive foe - up to 2ft long and worryingly adaptable: they can survive in Arctic, temperate and desert climates.

Research published last year in the Scientific American also showed the raven to be one of the most intelligent species on the planet - up there with dolphins and apes and, unlike most other birds and animals, capable of learning from their own actions and from observing others' behaviour.

They're thought to be one of the few birds that can count, and some have even learned to fashion leaves into special tools for extracting grubs from crevices in trees.

In Japan, they were reportedly found dropping nuts onto a dual-carriageway, then darting down to eat them once the cars had cracked them open.

Although older ravens (they live up to 25 years) mate for life and travel in pairs, young birds may form flocks of up to several hundred - collective nouns for ravens include an "unkindness", a "conspiracy", and a "murder" - which swoop on farm animals.

They were almost exterminated during the 19th century, but in the past 20 years have made their dramatic comeback, partially because they have been protected.

As Dr Farrar puts it: "A few years ago, you'd hope to see them only in Scotland, or Wales, but now they're popping up in parts of eastern England - they've even been spotted in Bedfordshire."

But he insists it's not all bad. "Ravens are truly spectacular birds, with an amazing display flight - they flip over into a half-roll and back again when they're flying - and have a deep sonorous croaking call. They're stunning to watch."

Which all sounds rather poetic, but must be scant comfort for the farmer rendered helpless as another dark, swirling, unkindness of ravens starts circling in the skies over his lambs. -

The pilot of airliner CZ6554 said on his micro blog that a huge spherical illuminant was seen in the sky, 10,700 meters above Shanghai at 9 pm on August 20. “The luminant was really round and getting huger, (looks) hundreds times bigger than the moon and the diameter of the luminant was longer than 50 sea miles,” the pilot said on his micro blog.

The pilot said the aircrew of more than ten other airliners flying above Shanghai also reported the illuminant object, one by one.

The Air Traffic Management Bureau East China also confirmed the reports on Monday.

At almost the same time, a halo in the sky above Beijing was seen by local people.

A netizen named Chen Xu published a photo of the halo on his micro blog.

Chen said the halo was small at first, then expanded, moved north, and disappeared several minutes later.

The UFO reports follow another report from Southwest China's Chongqing municipality three days before August 20. A UFO was seen above the landing route of the city's airport, forcing two planes to land in Guiyang of Guizhou province and Xi'an of Shaanxi province, respectively. - chinadaily

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Fireball seen over South Africa...fell in Botswana

A man from Lydenburg and three friends were stunned Friday when they were on a farm near the Botswana border of a fireball through the air shooting and minutes later a loud explosion heard.

At least three other people have seen the same phenomenon from different places.

"It looked like a meteor, and we suspect it fell down somewhere in Botswana . The fireball was orange-red and illuminated the entire landscape and move very fast, "he said. Henk Becker (53) said yesterday.

He and his friends on Friday at about 09:00 on a farm between Alldays and Black Water, about three kilometers from the border of Botswana, was sitting outside when they saw the fireball.

This according to him was "as fast as a shooting star" in a northerly direction (in the direction of Botswana) and moved out of sight .

"It was quite beautiful. While sailing through the air, it made no sound. "

Between five and seven minutes after the fireball went out of sight, the Becker and his friends heard a "dull thud" .

"At that time the thing had been very far from us, so for us to hear, meant it had been incredibly hard."

A fourth friend of Becker, who was in the house when the fireball became visible, said the inside of the house became illuminated.

"It is very strange that we have read nothing in the media heard about it, because it was very bright and had a very loud bang . Many others had also seen it or heard, "said Becker.

Drs. Claire Flanagan, director of the Johannesburg Planetarium, said the planetarium had indeed received calls from three people from Dullstroom, Auckland Park in Johannesburg and have someone near the top of Tswana-border confirm this phenomenon.

"If people from as far away as that could see it was either a meteor or a piece of space junk that penetrated the atmosphere," said Flanagan said last night.

She had no further details about where the object could possibly land.

Monday, August 22, 2011

On June 1, 2005, a photo was taken of an unidentified species standing beside a waterfall in the Parc des Sept Chutes in Quebec, Canada. Amazingly, the creature appears to be holding something and is staring at the photographer, who doesn't notice it. This creature does not match the typical descriptions of the legendary Bigfoot, which is usually described a being a massive creature that resembles a human, having a conical head and a human-looking flat face. As well, the Bigfoot is not usually described as being aggressive.

The creature in the photo has several unique physical attributes that differentiates it from typical Bigfoot sightings. The creature is erect, standing on two legs and appears to be between 5-6 feet tall. It has an elongated snout that appears dog-like as well as silver hair on its head reaching to it's shoulders. The creature's body is black and the left arm is visible bent at the elbow. Quite remarkably, the creature looks to be holding a white dog.

Based on the red area that looks like blood on the creatures head, it may have been feeding on the dog. The creature has a triangular shaped head and, unlike most Bigfoot who retreat when seen, this creature is holding his ground and staring aggressively and directly at the photographer.

In the forests of Northern Wisconsin, Michigan and East Central Canada, between about 42 to 48 degrees of Latitude, there have been a resurgence of reports of a large, bipedal carnivore, within the past several years. There is a notable resemblance in the descriptions to a being in the lore of native tribes: the Windigo, a tall, ferocious creature with a wolf-like head on the body of a man or bear. It also fits the descriptions from European legends of the werewolf.

The cryptic creature is reported to have unique characteristics that differ from the appearance of a Sasquatch or Bigfoot. Generally smaller and less stocky than a Sasquatch, it is said to be closer to the height of an average man, and the arms and legs are similar in proportion to the human. The hands or fore-paws are said to have long curving, sharp claws. The feet, judged by footprints, are said to be elongated somewhat like the human, but the toes are shorter and configured more like a canine. But the most striking feature, according to the accounts, is the elongated muzzle with large protruding canines and pointed incisors.

Accounts of sightings of the creature are often in conjunction with a fresh kill, usually a deer. Its demeanor is hostile and aggressive, according to reports. The non-human expression is said to be malevolent, and the glaring eyes and snarling grimace are said to provoke a deep sense of dread. The accompanying illustrations by the author are based on purported eyewitness accounts and a detail from a photo taken in a park near, Quebec Canada. "Seven Chutes" refers to the cataracts or waterfalls in the park, which is known by the the French name "Parc de Sept Chutes". In a small area of the larger, complete picture of a waterfall, a strange figure is facing the camera and looking up through the foliage on the embankment. Amazingly, it appears to be cradling a white poodle in its arms.

The hand-drawn digital illustrations by the author were derived by a visual study of an enlarged detail of the figure. Sophisticated filtering effects were employed to isolate color groups and enhance details of the structure and textural patterns. A compensation for motion-blur was added. The resulting rectified image, which revealed surprising detail, was used as a visual comparison for the illustrations. (To see the original unaltered picture and more information, refer to the link in the Resources section below.)

The crown of the creature's head has an irregular red coloration that has the appearance of a stain, perhaps blood. The rest of the hair or fur, which follows coherent patterns, is in shades of grey to white, darker at the base and lighter toward the tips. The head has a moderately long mane that appears to obscure the ears. The coat of hair on the arms, legs and body is somewhat uniform and comprised of stiff bristles about an inch and a half long, judging from proportions. The lower legs and feet in the image are obscured, so the illustrated configuration of them is conjectural. The "dog" it appears to hold is less distinct since it has more of a motion-blur, but still looks more like a dog than any other object or animal.

From studying the apparent bone structure, musculature, posture and hair-growth patterns it is a reasonable hypothesis that the creature, if real, would have characteristics most in common with the primate branch that includes macaques and baboons. Since the environment in the reports is the colder mid-northern regions, an analogous primate could be the Snow Monkeys (macaques) of Japan, which have a seasonal growth of hair that allows them to survive temperature extremes. Related primates, like baboons, also have enormous canine teeth and a head that can appear very dog- or wolf-like. The hind legs and feet of a baboon are also somewhat dog-like in appearance and function. These conjectures are worth considering if a bipedal, primarily carnivorous primate is postulated. Of course, most primates are omnivores or herbivores, but that does not preclude the possible existence of a carnivorous primate. An analogy to that premise would be the carnivorous marsupial "wolves" and "lions" formerly inhabiting Tasmania.

Reports of this type of cryptic biped in the Americas go back centuries before the arrival of Europeans. There have been sporadic reports since the days of New World settlements of this and perhaps related creatures by well known explorers and historical figures. Whether the phenomenon is real or imaginary, a greater understanding of this and other mysteries can be gained only through scientific investigation and comprehensive field research.

Enhanced image

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The person who took the photo lives in Quebec, about 15 minutes from where the photo was taken. He speaks French and works as a driver for a construction company and wishes to remain anonymous.

He was sightseeing alone at the Parc des Sept Chutes which is near Saint-Georges de Beauce, Quebec, it was about 90 degrees that day. He did not notice the subject or anything out of the ordinary while he was walking around the park taking pictures. The date was Wed. June 1st 2005 there were no other park visitors around. He took 76 photos (all at medium resolution) of various park features, he also recorded 4 videos. (The videos are available for anyone who wants to view them.) The camera was a Canon A70. He was looking through the photos at home that same day and was surprised to see the subject/creature standing in the woods looking up at him. The photo was number 32 in the set. He has since been back to this area 3 times and taken photos and videos on each occasion. He was back on Monday July 4th and was spooked when he heard something walking in the woods 20-30 feet away from him. He stated that he probably will not be going back there alone. In some of the later photos he took he had his girlfriend stand where the subject was and he stood where he initially was and took photos to get a sense of size and scale. - haveyouseenthiscreature.com

NOTE: was this a small Bigfoot or a large baboon? Any other thoughts on the identity? Or was this simply a hoax? Lon

The emergency services undertook a night-time search of Loch Ness after reports a balloon-like object had fallen from the sky.

The police, coastguard, lifeboat and an RAF search and rescue helicopter scoured the area but found nothing.

The alarm was raised at 20:00 on Saturday after members of the public said they saw a blue object fall on the south of the Loch, near Dores.

Police thought it might have been a hang glider or microlight.

However, following a three-hour search the emergency services could find "nothing untoward".

Loch Ness RNLI crew member, Vivian Bailey, said: "Speed of arrival on scene was essential and we were able to link our search efforts with those of the Coastguard and RAF, something we practise regularly.

"We believe the reports were based on sightings causing genuine concern and we commend the actions of the members of the public that contacted the emergency services." - BBC

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'Grease Devil' riots in Sri Lanka

Angry Sri Lankans killed a police officer in the latest outbreak of violence sparked by a fear of nocturnal prowlers known popularly as "grease devils" that has gripped rural areas in the island nation over the past two weeks.

Another officer and five other people were hurt in two separate incidents in the north-western town of Puttalam after residents gave chase to a suspected grease devil, police and witnesses said.

Traditionally, a grease devil was a thief who wore only underwear and covered his body in grease to make himself hard to grab, but the modern iteration has a far more sinister reputation as a prowling attacker of women.

Five people have died in outbreaks of violence related to the grease devil panic so far, including Sunday's incident.

More than 30 incidents of violence and vigilantism have been reported in eight districts of the country, primarily in areas inhabited by minority Muslim or Tamil people as the government and opposition trade blame over the phenomenon.

"Some people had attacked a policeman on traffic duty in Puttalam town and he died after being admitted to the hospital," police spokesman Prashantha Jayakody said.

Mr Jayakody said that in a separate incident in Puttalam, people assaulted a police constable who went to the village. He declined to say what prompted the attacks.

Residents said people had spotted an unidentified man and given chase, but policemen on duty fired in the air and later toward the crowd.

"At least five people were injured including a 13-year-old child," said an area resident by phone, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of angering the authorities.

The government has said grease devils are merely criminals taking advantage of traditional beliefs in spirits and devils in Sri Lanka's rural areas, and have vowed to punish those responsible for spreading panic about them.

On Saturday, in the nearby town of Kalpitiya, a government hospital refused treatment to a suspected grease devil who was brought by the navy after area residents attacked him.

Hospital officials were angry at damage caused to the building after residents and navy sailors who kept the man from being lynched got into a fight, local media reported. - abc.net.au

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Woman injects herself with horse blood, wears hooves

Marion Laval-Jeantet has injected herself with horse blood plasma as part of an artistic project exploring trans-species relationships.

Laval-Jeantet and her creative partner Benoit Mangin (working as collective Art Orienté Objet) were keen to explore the blurring of boundaries between species in the piece, entitled May the Horse Live in Me. Laval-Jeantet prepared her body to accept the horse blood plasma by getting injected with different horse immuniglobulins over the course of several months.

These foreign animal antibodies were injected in progressively larger amounts to allow her to build up tolerance in a process that she referred to as "mithridatisation", after the Persian king of Pontus, Mithridates VI, who supposedly built up an immunity to poison by regularly consuming small doses of it.

Earlier this year, after months of preparation, she was injected with horse blood plasma, which contained the full spectrum of immunoglobulins without provoking an allergic reaction.

As part of the performance piece she also wore a set of stilts with hooves on the end to feel at one with the horse. She also walked around with donor horse in a "communication ritual" before having her hybrid blood extracted and freeze-dried.

She explained to Centre Press that whole process made her feel "hyper-powerful, hyper-sensitive and hyper-nervous". She added: "I had a feeling of being superhuman. I was not normal in my body. I had all of the emotions of a herbivore. I couldn't sleep and I felt a little bit like a horse."

Art Orienté Objet have a long history of working in the bioart space, having created other pieces including Skin Culture, which uses bioengineered skin as a canvas for animal-shaped tattoos. - wired

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Eastern Russia declares war on sharks

Following two recent incidents of shark attacks in the Russian Far East, the authorities in Primorye have come up with a straightforward solution and announced that local sharks will be dealt with by professional fishermen.

­“We are planning to take out a number of fishing boats to catch sharks in the near future,” governor Sergey Darkin said today in a video address, Itar-Tass reports.

He also called upon locals and visitors to refrain from swimming in the sea along the entire coastline of the region, particularly stressing the danger of deeper waters.

According to the governor, a special operation group has been made up of local authorities, scientists, emergency response specialists and members of law-enforcement services.

Police boats and teams of the Emergencies Ministry are currently patrolling the coastline. No new cases of shark attacks have been reported so far.

The beaches along Russia’s Pacific coast are full of people this August, but those willing to go into water are few, despite the heat. Those who dare, remain in shallow waters.

Patrol boats are cruising along the coastline outside Vladivostok – Russia’s main city in the region – to warn people of potential danger. To add to the mood of anxiety, local authorities have reported a shoal of large sharks near the island of Russky, just a few kilometers from Vladivostok.

The first attack occurred on Wednesday about 50 meters off the coast in Telyakovsky Bay in southern Primorye, when a 25-year-old man lost both his forearms after being mauled by what is thought to be a four-meter-long Great White shark.

He was immediately taken to a hospital in the village of Slavyanka in a serious condition and underwent surgery. According to his doctors, the man’s life is not in danger and he will soon be transferred to Vladivostok for further treatment.

The second attack took place less than 24 hours after the first one. This time, a 16-year-old sustained serious injuries to his leg while diving for scallops. His wetsuit is thought to have saved him from more serious injuries.

The boy was hospitalized in Vladivostok and his life in not in danger. The medical staff say they will probably be able to save his leg. - RT

'CHICAGO PHANTOM' - FLYING HUMANOID SIGHTINGS

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